Globalization

When I first saw HSBC's print ads, I thought I should blog about it. Not that I want to promote it here (it's not even my bank), I just find it excellent and I want to share it with you. For those who never saw the ad, here's the work and play version of the ad.

It's actually a matter of how we view things. Each person, depending on his culture, environment, upbringing.. will see exactly the same thing differently. The magic of globalization is seeing and respecting these differences.

Globalization means competitivity. How could we propose the same product at a lower price? It also means working with different nationalities. We should then think locally and act globally.

Working in a multinational environment, I'm sometimes tasked to do an economic analysis on a certain product. Objective: Cost Reduction. Being Asian, of course, I would prioritize workloads going to this region. Here's some pictures I use to convince big bosses to caution my project - to a promise of lower cost (well, at least, for delivery cost!).

Special thanks to the unknown photographer. Must be a tourist.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! HAVE FUN!

Let Me Out

This picture was taken in one of the carparks in Bangkok. I've travelled quite a lot and for me, this one is a certified 'only in bangkok'. If my car is the one with the red arrow, could you figure out how I could move out of this chaos?

The Solution

Well, I guess nobody will find the solution so here it is. In fact, these Thais don't use their handbrakes when they park their car, so you could actually push these cars one by one without any problem till you get enough space to glide your car in between. But imagine pushing two rows of cars just to move your car out? Well, I saw one lady who pushed probably 5 cars each row to get her car out.. but I have to admit, I had a difficulty figuring it out too.

My Bangkok Experience

Prior to my travel to this lovely country, I had already painted in my mind my own vision of Thailand. I have heard a lot about it and worked with its people that I know almost exactly where Patpong is and how the Thais feel about it. But let me repaint my vision. Travel with me.

The Arrival

My arrival was a mix of positive and negative vibes. I waited 30 minutes to get my luggage and hurriedly hopped into the limo to get to my hotel. Yes, you got it right, a limousine! But in fact, it was just a big Mercedez. Me, who, upon receiving the confirmation from the hotel, dreamed of that big long car.

The big, wide roads of Bangkok, though not flooded when it rains, provoke long queues of impatient Thais on the road and I didn’t figure out why. Probably because almost all of the toll gates are manual? Instead of 40 minutes travel time from the airport to my hotel, I was stocked for almost 3 hours inside the limo. Traffic jam was worse compared to Manila.

I spent half of the 3 hours sleeping inside the car. I needed it because I wasn’t able to sleep in the plane and I had to work that same day. The rest of the time was spent observing Bangkok and its people. From the airport to the hotel, I saw but new cars driven by young women in their 4 to 6-lane motorway. King-size roads! But hey, where are the guys hehe?

They have impressive wide roads but they’re not done yet. Infrastructures are just about everywhere. Ready for economic expansion, I should say - both for investors and tourists.

Arriving at the hotel, I was informed that there was no executive room available for me so they’re upgrading me to first. Tatanggihan ko ba naman? And since I was already way too late for my appointment, I asked them to prepare a taxi for me in 30 minutes. Bilis no. After a quick shower, I went down hurriedly to the lobby, and guess what, the company driver was already waiting for me. Sarap buhay!

The Stay

I just stayed for a week so I only had all the evenings of the week and one whole Sunday to get a feel of the Thai life.

For the first evening, I was too tired that I just contented myself for a feast of soft shell crabs (as in kakainin mo lahat, pati shells) at a good restaurant just a block away from my hotel. The good thing about having business travels is that I could taste the good life without worrying for my pocket hehe.

The second evening was of course, fiesta! Accompanied by my colleague, we dined at the Silom Village where traditional music and dances are being performed permanently. A line of art and jewellery boutiques are also present which makes the place extra special. Sayang, I forgot my camera.

We then walked up to the famous Patpong (well, everybody talks about it at the office) but nothing shocked me really. A mix of night market and bars.

The next evening was spent in Siam Square. A chic and cool place, I should say. After a little window shopping, we then joined the Thais in this cool and hip street party. What a night!

Since I only had one Sunday to visit, I decided to go and check the Grand Palace. Wow, these people have something to boast to.

Thai people put coins in this line of pots for long life, I guess. The last picture shows me while praying infront of the Buddha ;)
We ended the day with an intense shopping spree at the Chatuchak Weekend Market. Akala ko kung ano na, parang Divisoria lang pala hehe. One difference probably is that, wala tayo nito:

Security Insecurities

Travelling regulations had changed a lot lately that I sometimes get goosebumps when I board a plane. I once asked to remove my shoes. That was just after the attempt of terrorist attack in England. After that, removing my coat and belt has became an SOP. I'm afraid they will soon ask me to get all of my clothes off!

Travelling for me has to be cool, my luggage, in consequence, has always been light (add to the fact that I don't really know what to put inside). I probably have an average of 15 kg per travel, the heaviest was surely when I decided to migrate here. I had a 30-kg luggage then and I told Frenchguy that I had all my life in there. Needless to say that I never knew what a balikbayan box was all about. I was even travelling with just my backpack then (the immigration officer even asked me kung wala daw bang mabibili sa France hehe). Now, I have my petit cabin luggage which I carry with me everywhere I go. Not that I don't like my backpack anymore, it's just that I have to be proper (for whatever that means) when travelling, minsan kasi me nakakabangga akong big bosses sa airport hehe. I board with my cabin luggage inside the plane without any problem. I was always at the top 10-earliest-traveller who reach the EXIT sign.

But that was history.

Starting November 6 of this year, all of the flights from the European Union, wherever the destination is, will be restricted of liquids, powders or gels inside their cabin luggages (that includes toothpaste!). If you really need to bring some with you, you will have to transfer them in a small transparent sachets, not exceeding 100ml each (or use small containers). These small sachets will then have to be sealed in a 1L sachet. If you have to bring your medecines, be sure to have your doctor's prescription. If you buy some liquids (whisky, etc) in a duty-free, be sure to have the plastic sealed too. And oppps, if you're on transit within the European Union and you bought a bottle of whisky outside the territory, this bottle, even if you buy it in a duty free inside an airport, couldn't be accepted in the next flight. Better drink the whole of it or it will be confiscated (I just saw a pile of alcohol behind the controller's desk the last time I travelled!).

Baby products, buti na lang, are acceptable. But better not fool them, because they might ask you to taste the product (in case of food products) infront of them.

With all that, I'm now obliged to bid goodbye to my cabin luggage for each travel. I will be part of those people crowding the bagage conveyor system at the airport. I won't be at the top 10 anymore.

I was just thinking, we're like prisoners in a free world. Sigh!

Scraps, Work, atbp.

I never imagined how scrapbooking could take as much of my time that I even have no time for blogging. In return, I have 20 lovely scraps hanging on my kitchen window: from Louna's first smile to her first birthday. I even bought the latest version of Photoshop to really indulge myself to this latest passion. Though it's really fun to create, I have to admit that it's equally tiring. So to unwind, frenchguy asked me to go down south on which I readily said yes with the condition to meet fellow pinay bloggers. That was great, I finally had my first ever EB with Haze, Makis and Jhona! Nice to meet you ladies, that was fun!

Louna singing, obviously enjoying this magnificent view.

But to be honest, work has been keeping me busy too. In fact, after my maternity leave, I was more or less a lazy couch potato at work, dealing with nonsense projects. In consequence, I had no salary raise which is quite normal. I then talked to my boss that Louna's big enough now and I wanted to reboost my career, which meant I needed more work. From then on, I learned another lesson: be careful with what you're wishing for. It could come true. Darn, I'm busy!

As if being busy at work and home aren't enough to keep me turning, I received an appointment last week for an interview at the prefecture. The problem is, I won't be available on the proposed date so I hurriedly went to the prefecture first hour the next day to get another appointment. I was then surprised by all the other applicants crowding the entrance so I moved to get closer just to be pushed after by the applicants-turned-rugbymen when the door finally opened. Para akong nasa LRT! The funnier thing is that these rugbymen tried to block the machine distributing the tickets. But these stupid bastards pushed the wrong button so I ended up 2nd on the list. haha! Gusto ko silang dilaan, bwahahaha!

Ooppps, by the way, Nao tagged me weeks ago and asked me to lie 5x. Bad girl! Though I really tried hard to lie as much, hindi po talaga ako sinungaling (hehe). So now, believe my stories or not, I inserted some lies in between. Don't count 5, I don't think I reached the target.

Current Events

I have been running left and right with my high-heeled shoes lately. Me, who had shown resistance to this form of formality and bourgeoisie during my younger years. And since I cannot be contented with this little change, I had taken this bad habit of wearing skirts too. All that because of work. And all that to say, I miss my Mapuan attire so badly (read: pants, shirt and flat shoes).

Madrid and Bangkok has just been added on my next month's itinerary. High-heel or flat shoes? I think I still have to bring my flat shoes in case I have time to visit these lovely cities after work. And who knows, my boss might ask me to catch a flight to Manila. My flat shoes then, become indispensable.

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My mileage reward has not been updated yet and its been 3 months. I lost 80,000 miles which is equivalent to a round-trip ticket Paris-Manila. (In fact, I requested for a ticket for my Mom which I canceled afterwards, but the airline company pursued with the deduction. Now, they're taking time for the rectification!). Louna's first visit in the Philippines this year-end depends on this free ticket! Darn!

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November 1 this year falls on a Wednesday. Time to unwind, a 5-day vacation at hand. Louna's yaya asked for a vacation leave on October 30 and 31. Frenchguy and I thought we could go out on November 2 and 3. Bordel! I guess we still need to work on our organisation prowess. Now, we're blocked and need to reorganize everything.

Funny and Annoying Tidbits

I just received a notice from the Social Security Office asking for my renewed visa. Without it, my medical expenses won't get reimbursed. Same thing for the government aide for Louna's yaya. Here's the catch: Do I have to wait for a letter from the Revenu Tax Office asking me to renew my visa, otherwise, my payments will be denied? Duh!

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I was with my boss yesterday, right next to each other on the train bound to Paris. Both working on our laptop. He then started to talk to me in English. He does that all the time, by the way. I guess he wants to keep our topics secret. FYI, we're on board a TGV (fast train) first class where 90% of the commuters were wearing neckties (10% were females!) and working on their ENGLISH documents on their computer. Haha!

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The Dijonnais are not simpaticos! And I hate their parkmeters which doesn't accept visa cards! And I hate myself for not having any cash in my wallet! Yesterday, I left 30 minutes before the train departure (going to Paris) to be sure that I won't have any problem to park my car. Pas de chance, no place at the station's carpark. I then parked my car outside, approached the parkmeter only to realize that I had no coins. Worse, I had no cash. I ran to the nearest cash dispenser and withdrew some cash, then ran to the nearest boutique to ask for change, no change, f*ù^¨!, ok fine! Ran again to the neareast boulangerie, no change, again f*ù^¨!. I finally had some change after 4 boutiques, 10 minutes before the departure! I then ran like hell to catch my train. All that with my high-heeled shoes! F*ù^¨!

Last Taste of Summer

A freezing 6°C wind breezed on me as I walked out of the house this morning. If not for the green leaves still present on the trees around me, I would have believed it was already winter. But not yet. And I don't want to associate my mood on the daily weather. I'm not yet Frenched at that level. Here, they would normally correlate their daily mood on the quantity of clouds present on the sky and with that, they think that people from the south are more gay and relaxed because they normally have a good dose of the sun.

Tuesday last week, I left Paris with my Autumn attire. Enough to protect me from the 16°C outside temperature. 3 mid-season clothes were piled up inside my luggage for my 3-day stay. I know, I'm not very feminine in that aspect but I really hate over-charging myself when I travel. I believe in the saying 'Travel Light' hehe. Just before landing, the pilot announced that the outside temperature in Barcelona was 27°C! Huwattt? 27°C????? Oh dear, true enough, people are still half-naked along Barcelona's beaches. The frenchies have all the reasons in the world to envy these espagnols.

But wait. I was lazily looking at all the newspapers of the other passengers inside the Metro train and was surprised to read that there are 10% of the Spanish population suffering from depression.

Moral of the story: A somewhat perfect environment for one could be the complete opposite for the other. We can never be happy with what we have because we think that others have a better situation than what we have.

Moral of the story 2: Sa Pilipinas, siraulo or luka-luka ang tawag sa 10% na yan.

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It was my first time to travel with a girl colleague. Honestly, it was fun. After work, we had time to walk around a little bit and discover the other side of Barcelona which I ignored during the last visits - the shopping centers! And yes, the tapas, paellas and sangrias are just excellent.

Moral of the story 3: In France, one serving of alcohol = 1 glass. In Spain, one serving = 1 pitcher. That explains why they say that espagnols are hotties. As for me, one serving was enough to knock me off to bed that night. Not bad.

Safety at Home

Our pre-toddler has been overly active lately, exploring every corner of our house and paying a lot of attention to details. Part of her observation prowess is to taste what she has in her hands. Even the smallest stuff could go to her little mouth, and I assure you, once it's inside, you will never get it back. Vacuum cleaning has then become part of our daily life.

Since she started crawling, safety has become our biggest concern. Cabinets, doors, drawers, electrical plugs, medicines.. name it. Almost everything inside our house has become kid-friendly.

Then she became more adventurous. She finally discovered the stairs. She then went up and down our two-step stair separating the living room from the rest of the house.

Yesterday, we went to a baby store to buy a barrier. I told Frenchguy that Louna will not take long to discover the other stair. And true enough, the picture above shows the dangerous reality. So there and then, Frenchguy started to install the newly bought security gadget. Well, Louna was actually cooperative enough, she even helped her Papa do the works. It's just funny to see her busy like that, equally conscious of her safety, unconsciously.

Go papa, I'll hold it. Don't worry.

Philippine Economic Growth

I was reading L'Expansion magazine, January 2006 edition (I know, the news must be too old) and was glued on an article about economic growth on several countries. I then searched Asia, then Philippines. The forecasted growth for 2006 was 4.4% compared to 1.8% in France. Not bad. But me thinks we could do better than that if not for this:

Aux Philippines, l'instabilité politique et la corruption
n'incitent guère les investisseurs à s'installer.

Translation: In the Philippines, political instability and corruption don't incite investors anymore to put up their business there.

Our present political situation, if not changed will push the Philippines to poverty. No more investors, no more tourists, no more jobs to our fellow Filipinos.

FYI, the first in the list in East Asia is China, followed by Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia and Cambodia. Naunahan na tayo...

Journées Européennes de Patrimoine - The Details

The week has been overly hectic. I was thrice in Paris: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As you see, the schedule is far from being well organized. I'm just glad it's Saturday today.

Ok, let me recount to you our adventure in Paris last weekend, during the Journées Européennes de Patrimoine.

It started out with a hectic Saturday. After a busy day doing domestic chores, we decided to hit the road for Paris that same night. The 300 km (3 hours drive!) that separates us from the capital deemed to be too tiring (we arrived at past midnight). Louna, who was quite disturb by the sudden change of routine had a hard time catching her sleep. Well, actually, she wanted to play. And since my bro-in-law's flat is not kid friendly, we decided to put her with us on bed before she electrifies herself. Bad move. She then started to put her tiny fingers in every hole on our face. Imagine.

She woke up at 8am the next day, Sunday. I gave her her bottle 30 minutes later then continued sleeping till 11am. Had a quick brunch with Frenchguy then finally went out after midday. Cool family hehe.

We arrived at Palais de l'Elysée and was quite discourage to know that we have to queue up for 4 hours till we get to say Hi to President Chirac. A kind man told us that with Louna, we could probably get inside directly, without the 4-hour long wait! We looked at each other, then, TING! After 20 minutes, we were inside. Heaven! The XVIIIth-century monument is superbly decorated! Well, it's Paris' Malacañang, no wonder.

Next stop was at the Hotel de Marigny were Presidents or Representatives of other countries stay during their visits to France. There was where Ate Gloria slept on her stop in Paris, cool!

Next stop was at the Interior Minister's (Nicolas Sarkozy's) Office at the Hotel de Beauvau.

We were actually enjoying the quick pace of our visit, all because of Louna. After these 3 monuments, we headed off to Hotel de Matignon, the Prime Minister's (Dominique de Villepin's) office. But like Cinderella's midnight curse, the magic of the stroller suddenly disappeared, we were not allowed to get inside directly. The heck. Do they realize how hard it is for a 10-month-old cutie lil girl to stay outside and wait for hours? We then decided not to visit it and stay instead in a park somewhere so Louna could continue with her activities the night before - exploring where she could put her fingers.

PS: Sorry for posting no pictures. I forgot our cam at home when we visited so we used our mobile phone, but then, I forgot the cable at the office. So still no pix. Alzheimer?

Journées Européennes du Patrimoine

What the heck does that mean? It means that all public monuments in the whole of Europe will open their doors to everybody. Name it - hospitals, universities, museums, churches, libraries, public offices (even the equivalent of Malacañang!) - well, just everything. And it's gonna be this weekend!

Since my Tita will be arriving this Monday and wishes to experience the Burgundy wine cellar visits with dégustation included before proceeding on the European group tour (which means that we have to meet her at the airport and bring her with us back to Dijon!), we hence decided to spend our weekend at the capital. We could then visit some Authorized-Personnel-Only and No ID-No Entry kind of monuments and meet some long lost friends.

I'm digging into this site for some interesting monuments to visit but the list is just too long. I'm sure it will be impromptu visits, as usual. I have Palais de L'Elysée on my must-see list... it's Paris' Malacañang, who knows, I might come face-to-face with Jacques Chirac.

Photo courtesy of Palais de L'Elysée official site.

9/11 atbp

I came home early that afternoon and systematically switched on the television. My language professor adviced me to watch the tube even if I don't understand anything. She said that my ears would eventually get used to the accent. It's the gateway to understanding the language.

A movie preview has been playing, the Independence Day or Terminator kind of film. I was searching for Harrison Ford or Arnold Schwarzenegger or why not Will Smith, but I saw nobody. Some exclamations from other unknown actors was amusing me, somebody just shouted 'holy f***** christ' (of course this wasn't dubbed), quite fun, I should watch this film.

After minutes of the same movie trailer, I started to zap.. TF1.. France 2.. France 3.. Arte.. M6.. the same movie preview on all channels, at an almost synchronized sequence. I guess, even if you don't understand the language, you will understand something. I just couldn't believe it was happening.

... that was 5 years ago, 2 and a half weeks after my arrival here in France.


On the lighter side..

Since her 6th month, she could sit down on her own but we had to plant her for a start. She could jump up and down but would stay in the same place for hours. Last week, at 9 months and 3 weeks old, we saw her helping herself to sitting position. We then saw her sitting on her bed playing with her toys after each siesta. Last Friday, I told frenchguy that Louna would probably start to crawl the week after. Surprise. She crawled the next day, Saturday, at 10 months and 1 day old. See her live at Ma Crèche Privée.

Busy Me

My Microsoft Outlook calendar for September is nearing its supersaturated point. If you're familiar with Outlook, then imagine it filled with lively colors: blue for travel, green for personal appointments, pink for important matters, brown for preparation required and transparent to say I'm in situ but not available. Frenchguy and I opted for color-coding to better organize our schedules for obvious reasons - Louna.

This week would be spent in situ. Pink and Transparent.

This weekend was supposed to be spent at Fos-sur-Mer, south of France. So it must be green. My bro, a seafarer, was supposed to join his ship there this weekend but last minute changes now heads us somewhere in Germany. Me who was already planning an EB with Haze and the kids and why not other pinay bloggers around the area. Next time, maybe.

Half of next week will be spent enhancing my influencial behaviour at the capital - Paris. Who knows, I might be able to convince you to buy a book written by a fellow blogger. That's blue and transparent.

The week after promises a colorful week, a mix of green, blue and transparent - a very tropical mix, don't ya think? Tropical? Hmmm. My Tita will be on a Europe tour and will spend 3 days in Paris. So what do you expect? A day off to meet her there to play tourist guide. Hmmm, I'm thinking how much share I'll take from the official tourist guide. 50? 100%?

The next week after is blue and transparent, but I assure you, it will be lively. I'll be 3 days in Barcelona to attend a showroom/conference - we call it technology watch, to be official. But yes, that would be blue. The night life - that would be lively!

PS: I just had an unexpected salary increase. All I did this year was to give birth and be on maternity leave. Is it to motivate me to put more color on my calendar? But on the other hand, giving birth is a tough job ;). Agree with me? I probably deserve it after all haha.

Proud Parents

It was frenchguy's birthday yesterday and Louna was quite excited over something. Hmmm, she seems to like bubbly liquors, don't ya think?

So what's the link with the title? Well, well, our little princess just tried her first ever ride. I don't want to double-blog about it and be charged as an over-excited Mom, so let me just invite you to Ma Crèche Privée. Share the fun with me.

Girl's Night Out

I'm still wondering when was the last time I went out with my girl friends. Probably early 2005 during a business travel in the Philippines - with my high school friends. It started out in one of the bars in Greenbelt, second floor, and ended up in Burgos St, still in Makati. You know, in one of those bars where instead of having girl servers - we opted for boys. Nothing fancy, it was just one of those girls-just-want-to-have-fun experience.

Here in France, the only time I could remember was when I was a French Language student (2003!)- with gals of different nationalities, speaking French with different and awful accents. In a Latino bar. I still couldn't figure out how we understood each other!

The rest of the nights out were more of boy's-night-out plus a girl (moi). Being in a work environment where girls are largely outnumbered by boys doesn't really help. But last Saturday was an exemption, I finally went out with my girl colleagues (we're 3 in the department now). What a change!

I arrived at 7:40pm, 10 minutes later than previewed. How could I forget that people could go out even on a rainy Saturday night. Parking lots were of course full. I finally found a place 10 minutes away from the restaurant, thus the delay.

I started to get impatient at 9pm. Already 9pm and the main meal has not been served yet. I started to tap my fingers repeatedly on the table, thinking Louna must be sleeping by now. Did frenchguy check her diapers before putting her to bed?

Blahblah here and blahblah there. Wow, it feels good to be out of my cage. Feeling single and available again. 10:30pm, dessert's served. That crème brûlée was the worst of its kind! But heck, I need to finish this dinner and be home. Yawn.

11pm. One colleague proposed to have a drink in a bar. Heck again, didn't she have enough red wine for dinner? Ok, I said yes for faire-la-sociale's sake. The smoky atmosphere inside the bar wasn't welcoming at all. I largely prefer Louna's body odor. Hmmm, I guess it's really time for me to go home.

I speeded back home at 1am. The sudden realization that I'm acting like I'm nearing retirement (from bars) just hit me. I'll do better next time, promise.

Yes, I do.

Ok, fine. I just said YES!

Frenchguy's been bringing up the topic every opportunity he gets since quite a time now. I was always opposed to the idea thinking life's been ok without it. But when he used Louna as an element in his argument, a deciding factor at that*, of course, irrevocable decisions could suddenly be revocable.

In fact, I just said yes to a 3-hour-per-week sessions of femme de ménage at home. Works include house cleaning and ironing of clothes - not more. Frenchguy told me that the femme de ménage will come when we're out, on a Friday for example, and be paid around 15€/hour, a certain percentage of which will be deducted from taxes. Is that so? I know nothing about this arrangement but the idea of leaving somebody at home, someone I don't even know, frightens me. I just wonder how is it in other areas..

*Advantage: More time with Louna. Who won't say yes, right?

Email me please..

It's a choice. Being a bitch could be inborn, genetically transmitted characteristic. You know, when your Mom is a bitch and you think she's great, you will surely end up as a bitch. Bitches who choose to stay as such till their adult age are real and certified bitches. There are some who choose to be a bitch for a simple reason, by choice - to intimidate other people, bitch or not.

Asar. Ganyan ako ngayon. Since kararating ko lang sa bakasyon, I wanted to update myself sa status ng aking mga proyekto. At dahil kailangan kong makipag-deal sa iba't ibang nasyonalidad sa aking trabaho, kailangan ko ring i-adjust ang style ng aking pakikitungo sa bawat isa. Merong masipag mag-update at maki-update na minsan nakakaasar na dahil kahit simpleng impormasyon ay kailangan pang itanong. Meron namang super tamad mag-update na kahit simpleng email lang, di pa magawa. Ang sabi ni frenchguy nyan, kailangan ko pa daw magpaka-puta to get what I want.

Katatanggap ko lang ng email galing sa isang katrabaho saying: Tapos ko na ang pinagagawa mo. Saka na ang resulta pag me time ako, me iba pa akong pinagkakaabalahan sa ngayon. Super dry!

Naman. As if ang hirap mag-email para sabihan ako na tapos na pala yung testing at may first hand resulta na. Ngek! Di pa ako sasabihan kung di ko pa sya in-email. At kailangan pa talaga akong bitinin sa resulta. At hello, meron daw syang pinagkakaabalahang iba.. baket? Ako ba, isang proyekto lang ba meron ako?

Hay, miss ko na talaga makitrabaho sa kapwa ko pinoy ko. Sa bawat email, me kasamang lambing sa dulo, tipong... o sige, I'll do it for you, ice cream ko ha.. o di ba, ang cute.

The Aoûtiens Are Back!

End of vacation. Tho I hate the thought that next Monday, I'll have to restart my computer and check my emails - which means that I'll have to restart working - I also loved the idea of returning home and savour the comfort of our little chez nous. Our vacation was almost perfect, except for the fact that we were less geared, or should I say not-correctly-equiped. In fact, the whole of France was complaining about the scorching heat just before our vacation, so I systematically packed lighter clothes plus a minimum of warmer ones for Louna. Error. Just as we set foot at my parents-in-law's place, we suddenly realized that the canicule was over and was replaced by an early autumn weather.

We spent the first week with the family at their vacation house in La Vendée area. Days were spent eating, talking and sleeping while waiting for the rain to cease. Some forced sorties to eat ice cream while chilling at the freezing breeze of the Atlantic Ocean added to the fun. Not to forget the emergency shopping to buy warmer clothes for the whole family. Hurray for the most organized vacation we had.

The next week was spent in Brittany (Finistere area). Unlike our usual camping habits, this time, we mounted our tent in a Villages Vacances where we enjoyed not only their camping facilities, but their daily proposed activities as well. It was our first time in such vacation destination so we decided to just go with the flow. There was a dégustation of regional products the night of our arrival. But since we arrived with no reservation - thus no further information about that soirée - we didn't know that we had to bring something from our area. We should have brought some Moutarde de Dijon hehe.

A daily activity guide was posted in the facility's bar so we were free to choose whatever suits our mood. Some activities include oil massage, fancy jewelry creations, countryside visits, nearby island visits, ocean kayaking, initiation to diving, windsurfing, and other sporty stuffs. All that topped with an initiation to the traditionnal Brittany dance, theatre show, local concerts or crèpes (pancake) making at night. Not bad. What makes it more interesting is that, there are separate activities for different ages: for ados and kids. So Mommies and Daddies could do windsurfing while kids do their painting sessions. Cool!

Here's some pictures from two of the most interesting promenades we did. The first one was a short promenade from the town of Morgat to Ile Vierge. The second one was in Ile Ouessant.

Ile Ouessant is the western-most island in Europe and holds one of the most powerful lighthouse in the world - the Créach lighthouse. You see, it pays to be with a tourist guide sometimes, you get to learn more and enrich your culture.

Some More Interesting Updates

Louna starts to stand when holding on some kind of support like her playpen for example. She starts to mumble some syllables including mama and papa and she loves watching Dora the Explorer.

Trying to do some portraits of Louna. I was inspired by Jeff but of course, I know, I still have a lot of photo lessons to be learned.

Aoûtiens

We've always been juilletistes rather than aoûtiens. But since we are obliged to synchronize our vacation with our yaya's, we are then subjected to hotter climate and more expensive everything on the month of August. Itinerary is limited to short trips, promenade in shadowy areas, swimming preferably in shaded pools and probably island hopping. Our target destination is La Bretagne, where temperature is normally lower than the rest of France. Well, we hope.

It will be Louna's first real vacation with us. My little mermaid could finally spend more time in swimming pools with Maman and Papa. Look at how she loves being in the water.

With that said, this blog will be signing off for vacation.. even blogs need a break!

Juilletiste - people taking their vacation during the month of July.
Aoûtiens - you got it right, it's August.

Let's Get Bilingual

Frenchguy was again in turmoil. He was with 2 french couples and the subject of conversation was focused on how to teach a child two languages at a very young age. 5 french people who learned but french at home and school, who had collections of VHS of disney movies in french, who watched everything on TV in french, who listened to the radio in french... of course, the topic was quite disturbing. Too big a deal.

I'm no expert in languages nor do I have the right method to teach my girl any. To have a quick background, I learned Zambal because it was the dialect spoken at home. I learned Tagalog at the same time for obvious reasons. It's everywhere. I learned English from TV, I was the Scooby Doo fan. So even before kindergarten, I already spoke 2 languages (considering Zambal is another thing to be learned) and understood English. But like any other kid in the Philippines, at that age, I knew how to present myself in English too.

At Grade 1, we changed our yaya, and this time, she was an Ilocana. It didn't take me long to understand her secrets shared to our neighbor's yaya, who was herself Ilocana. They didn't even knew I understood them (tsismosa).

During those times, 2 languages spoken fluently and 2 other languages being understood, I didn't even notice that I was actually learning. I don't even remember any moment of confusion between those languages.

5 years ago, I was forced to learn French for obvious reasons. And I tell you, it was difficult. No more sponge-like brain willing to absorb another language. I guess the secret to learning several languages at the same time is a constant contact with the language. I know that it will be difficult to implement that concept here in France, where everything is in French. English DVDs, English-speaking moi... oh well, can I just cross the bridge when I get there?

Ok, all that being said, let me update you on Louna's language update.

In fact, I hardly speak the english language at the moment and I'm supposed to be the teacher. If occasional call conference with some non-french colleagues counts, then that's about it. My conversation with my 8-month old doesn't really progress. First, because I don't even know if she understands me, second, because I don't understand the response that I get. Here's one of our one-on-one conversation.

Me: Repeat after me, Louna. I - LOVE - YOU.
Louna: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! (high-pitched, of course).
Me: No Louna. Let's do it again. I - LOVE - YOU.
Louna: BOOOOOOOOO! (with a mischievous smile).
Me: I - LOVE - YOU.
Louna: KKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! (with e pronounced in french).
Me: Naman si Louna e. Serious na. I - LOVE - YOU.
Louna: Pft.

End of conversation.

Optimistic me thinks I'm on the right track.

On Football and Racism

Sports should normally unite people regardless of origin, race, politics, beliefs or religion. There's only one rule applicable.

The headbutt done by Zidane was a result of provocation. This guy isn't stupid. When he engaged in the act, 10 minutes away from his retirement, at the World Cup finals, don't you think there's something serious behind?

Here's his explaination.

The declaration done by an Italian senator was even more uncalled for, calling the frenchies 'black, muslim and communist'. Ok Mr Senator, let me explain it to you :

Black - Mr, you should review your neighbor's geography. France has this so-called DOM-TOM, overseas departments and territories, lovely islands I should say, where populations are mainly black. So these blacks are in fact, French.

Muslim - Franck Ribery? His wife is Muslim, so I guess he converted to this religion out of love. What wouldn't you do for love, hmmm?

Communist - Errr, I should search more. The whole www cannot provide me the name of the communist french football player.

The controversy has gone worldwide. TF1, one of the leading channels here, will present the 8pm news tonight with a black newscaster. A way to show their stand to 'SAY NO TO RACISM' campaign.

Picture from Fotothing.

It's not either you win or loss baby, it's how you play the game.

The Good Frenchguy's Guide

Have dinner ready. And that's applicable even if you are out of the country. Fill the fridge with ready-to-cook meals. This is a way of letting her know that you have been thinking about her and are concerned about her needs.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to take a shower, shave and brush your teeth. She has just been with a lot of odd-smelling work-weary people.

Be a little gay and a little more interesting for her. And please, don't talk about work. Her boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

Clear away the clutter. A general cleaning of the house and garden plus the laundry at least once a week suffice. Your wife will feel she has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for her comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

Prepare the children. Leave the office and fetch your child before 6pm. This will prevent you from paying extra hours to your nanny and will give more time to your wife to finish her work.

Minimise all noise. At the time of her arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum.

Be happy to see her. Greet her with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please her.

Listen to her. You may have a dozen important things to tell her, but the moment of her arrival is not the time. Let her talk first - remember, her topics of conversation are more important than yours. She also has the right to talk about work, all you have to do is listen and agree to her.

Make the evening hers. Never complain if she blogs all the time. Instead, try to understand her world of strain and pressure and her very real need to be at home and relax infront of the www.

Your goal: try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquillity where your wife can renew herself in body and spirit. Don’t greet her with complaints and problems.

Make her comfortable. Make her lean back in a comfortable chair or have her lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for her. Arrange her pillow and offer to shine her shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

Don’t ask her questions about her actions or question her judgement or integrity. Remember, she's earning almost as much as you do. You have no right to question her.

A good husband always knows his place.

The Good Wife's Guide

Apparently, this is an article published in 'Housekeeping Monthly' in 1955. Read on.

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. and then run a dustcloth over the tables.

Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by.Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

Minimise all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

Your goal: try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquillity where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

Don’t greet him with complaints and problems. Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

Make him comfortable. Make him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

A good wife always knows her place.

I just love the phrase highlighted in red. Excellent! The french translation added some more biting twist. Here's the french version re-translated.

After dinner, clear the table and do the dishes at once. If he suggests to help you, decline his offer because he would risk to feel obliged to repeat it afterwards. After a long day of labour, he doesn't need additional work. Encourage him to be engaged in his favourite pastimes and to dedicate himself to his centers of interest. Show yourself interested without giving however the impression to trespass his domain. If you have small pastimes yourself, see to it not to annoy him by talking about it because the centers of interests of women are often rather insignificant compared to men's.

On intimate relationship, be guided by your wedding obligations and in particular your obligation to obey him. If he considers that he needs to sleep at once, then be it. Be guided by his desires and never provoke or stimulate him for a sexual intercourse.

If he needs sexual intercourse, accept it with humility while keeping in mind that the pleasure of a man is more important than that of a woman. When he reaches orgasm, a small groan on your part will encourage him and will be completely sufficient to indicate to him any kind of pleasure you were able to have.

If he has extramarital affaires, be obedient and resigned, but indicate your possible lack of enthusiasm by keeping yourself silent. It is likely that your husband will fall asleep quickly.

You could then reset the alarm clock so you could wake up earlier than him. It will allow you to prepare his morning cup of tea ready when he will wake up.

Haha, this is hilarious!

Life of a Working Mom

I'm no neophyte in the work environment. I dream big no more. Corporate ladder not attractive anymore. Finally, life thought me to evaluate priorities. Balance, balance. I already resigned from my ambitious self, enough stress from work, thank you. Promotions, big responsibilities, big salaries...there's more in life, ya know. All that, just to say, I want to spend quality time with my daughter. Honestly.

Today's Status: Frenchguy on business travel. Moi on an early meeting in Paris tomorrow. Louna staying in her yaya's place for the night. Next rendez-vous with her tomorrow afternoon. Poor lil girl...

Nearing the Finals..

Portugal vs France

5th of July at 9 pm.

0 - 1

On to the finals... everybody's celebrating outside; car's hooting, people running, jumping, shouting.. and me trying to simulate a soundproof room for Louna ..now, tell me how the heck could I sleep.

Anyhoo.. Allez les bleus! France vs Italy on Sunday, July 9 at 8 pm.

The Pope and the President

I don't normally read news about the Philippines. First, because I have no time. Second, because I just feel down and disappointed on what I read. The least I could do is read the headlines listed at the right corner of this blog without really getting into the details. Today, my eyes were caught by this headline: Pope's reaction drew interpretations over Arroyo administration which led me to click on the link at once. What the heck are they mixing again? Politics and religion, don't you think they have to be tackled separately for the betterness of everybody?

Here's a quote from the article:
Malacanang officials and proponents of Charter change were elated at what they believed was the blessing the Pope gave to the Arroyo administration's campaign to revise the Constitution.

That sent them to euphoria, people. Blessing from the Pope! Onli in da Pilipins! Do you really think Berlusconi (from Italy), Zapatero (from Spain), De Villepin (from France) or any other political figure from a dominantly-catholic country would ask blessing from the Pope for a revision of their constitution? I guess they react mainly in function of their current social, economic and political situation. They use intelligence and not prayers.

And what's with this Parliamentary form of government they want to propose? I only see a grand mafia behind that slogan and an infinite power to those who are already in political position. I can see my dear Philippines dying because of the Filipinos. I don't think that kind of government is adopted to a corrupt country like ours. This would just boil down to a big corporation of few selected people who would rule the country.

Kawawa naman si Juan de la Cruz.

Allez Les Bleus

I have predicted the elimination of France this afternoon, and no wonder, I couldn't pass for Madame Auring. France won over Spain 3-1, winning goals courtesy of Frank Ribery (41'), Patrick Vieira (82')and Zinedine Zidane (92+').

I could still hear cars hooting outside 15 minutes after the match! I'm sure it will be in the headlines in the office tomorrow. Expect low productivity.

But the game isn't over yet. Still a long and hard way to go before the finals. Will they beat Brazil this Saturday? It will surely be a much-awaited match! Rendez-vous infront of your television set on July 1, 9pm.

More news on FIFA World Cup 2006.
Picture courtesy of FIFA site.

Spot The Difference

Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth

I'm in deep merde. Bad luck, mistake, missed train.. always come when they shouldn't.

I'm working as a support on a priority and strategic project for our company. To have an overview, there are 3 main steps in our workflow. First, we produce the material. Then we add a 2-step technology for the added values which makes our product more sophisticated and of course, more expensive than our competitors'. My job falls on the first phase of the 2-step process and the project concerns the final step. That means that I'm not directly working on it , I just supervise the process prior to the final step. Easy, right?

The problem is, the final step won't run without our precious intervention on phase one.

Yesterday, operator 1 came back from vacation. She thought operator 2 did her job well while operator 2 actually relied on her. Me thought, everything was ok as usual especially that operator 1 was back. Confident me did not even check the work area, thinking two operators are better than one. Today, there were no processed product for the final step. And the products in question were to be used for customer survey - ya know, the products that should be processed with no mistake! I guess I'm really in for a deep merde.

Bonne Fête Papa!!!

My Little Nomad III

The doting and ever loyal mamarazzi followed this little nomad as she explored the world of bigger people. The presence of her Mommy and Daddy from the Philippines obliged her to pursue her adventures at a more accelerated pace resulting to more discoveries, not only on her part but also for the mamarazzi. Follow me as I follow her...shhhh.

Camping at Collioure - at 6.5 months! With the duvet and contoured changing pad in tow, sound sleep on the go. This changing pad has actually found another function, it will surely be added on our to-bring list. Bath time was a guaranteed intimate moment with mamarazzi and papa Frenchguy (yes, we were 3 inside that 1m2 shower cubicle! ... red tub no more.

Sunbathing - Lil nomads suggestion is to pamper lil nomads like her with sunscreen creams with at least SPF 50 with wider spectrum (Sun Protection Factor which could block UVB and UVA). Well, at least in France where UV index is quite high most of the time. The cream pampering session should be repeated every 2 hours to ensure good protection and TLC from mamarazzi. Sun exposure should of course be taken with moderation.Mountain Hiking - Not more than 1500 meters altitude for babies less than 6 months. But what about babies living in high altitudes? Anyhoo, I caught this lil nomad having great time with her papa Frenchguy while climbing the Pic du Canigou (2784m). They stopped halfway at around 1800 m alt, because like sun exposure, adventures should be equally taken with moderation.Night Partying - and this lil nomad had the energy to feel the Barcelona life up to past midnight. I guess she was caught in the ambiance, with people walking everywhere and talking out loud.Kayaking - ehem, she just had the feel of it ... out of the water. .. and contented herself watching her papa Frenchguy as he glided into the waves.

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Enough for a 7 months old little girly... more of her next time ;)